


Autumn Days are Here Again: Tivatober 2020

by bamboo72498



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:13:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 9,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26757076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bamboo72498/pseuds/bamboo72498
Summary: 31 Spoopy, fall time Tiva-filled stories to enjoy as the leaves fall and the days turn colder. Prompts from Sofia, @indestinatus on Tumblr.
Relationships: Ziva David/Anthony DiNozzo
Comments: 19
Kudos: 35





	1. Day 1

**Author's Note:**

> TW: Mentions of anxiety and mental health issues  
> Prompt: Crisp Air (Day 1)  
> Tony helps his girlfriend during a bad day.

“I brought you a jacket. Didn’t want you catching a chill out here,” Tony says, crossing the balcony to where his girlfriend is sitting curled up in a chair. There’s a mug of long gone cold tea on the table next to her. She sits up a bit when Tony wraps the sweater he’d brought around her shoulders and manages a slight, sad smile at him in thanks. “Is there something else I can do?”

“You’re doing it,” Ziva says, lost again in that anxiety induced dream world she goes to on her bad days. 

“Okay,” Tony says, turning to leave. 

“Tali-?” at her voice, he pauses, turning to look at her furrowed face.

“At school. She’s safe. We’re all safe.”

“Right, right.”

Ziva had been doing so good for so long. All summer, and most of quarantine, she’d had such good days. She was happy and smiling, and teasing him and Tali. It felt nice. Of course, Tony should have known it was too good to be true. Mental illness is a bitch of a thing. And of course it had to pick the first gloomy day of fall to come back. 

“Her class is going to lunch soon, if you wanna go down there and see her. I’ll bet she’d like to show you off to all her friends.”

“No, no, let her finish her day. I’ll be alright.” A car door slams shut on the street below them and Ziva jumps, looking in all directions for the sound’s source. 

“It’s okay, you’re safe,” Tony reminds again, kneeling next to her. “Have you taken your meds?”

“Yes. I took one earlier. I’ll be okay.”

“I know you will,” Tony smiles. “I gotta go finish up some work, but I’ll check on you in a few, okay?”

“Thank you,” Ziva says. “You know I love you, right?”

“I love you too.”

A half hour goes by, and when Tony reaches a stopping point in his work, he gets up from his desk, stretches and goes to check on Ziva. He doesn’t java to go very far though, because commotion from the kitchen makes him turn for it. 

Ziva is puttering around, pulling out ingredients and setting them on the counter, a recipe book is propped up on the counter as well. “We’re out of canned pumpkin. So I hope banana bread will be okay for now,” she says, obviously sensing Tony’s presence in the room. She doesn't see the way his shoulders drop or the knot in his stomach loosen.

“That will be good,” Tony says, very relieved that Ziva seemed to be doing a bit better. “I’ll get some pumpkin next time I’m at the store.” 

He leaves her to finish baking, knowing the bad days would come and pass just like the crisp fall days. 


	2. Day 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt for Day 2: Witchcraft

“She is not a witch, Tony,” Ziva insists again, punctuating every word. They reach their floor and step off the elevator. Ziva pushes past her partner to reach their desks first and drops her bag and coat to the floor. “McGee! Explain to Tony that our victim was not a witch.” She hopes her friend will take her side on this one.

“Well……,” McGee starts, twisting his face. He’d seen the photos they’d sent him; seen the evidence that was brought in. “I mean, all her stuff did look kind of witchy.”

Ziva scoffs loudly, rolling her eyes and dropping into her chair. “I promise you, there is a logical explanation.”

“There is: she’s a witch! And rival evil witches did her in!” Tony says. “I mean, last night was a full moon. They say a witch’s powers are at its max during a full moon.”

“You’ve been watching too many scary movies,” Ziva scoffs. “I promise: she’s not a witch.”

“Okay, if you’re so sure she’s not a witch, what’s the explanation then?” Tony starts, leaning back in his desk chair and linking his fingers behind his head. 

“Well - um -” 

Ziva’s pause to think gives Tony an in to tease her further. “Ha! See, you don’t have a reason!”

“No! I was thinking. I was putting together all the evidence, like an actual agent,” she says, rolling her eyes again. “Spirituality, that’s what I was going to say. Crystals and herbs and other natural items are used in some religions. She must have been very in touch with her soul and spirit.”

“Uh-huh, sure, we’ll go with that,” Tony says, looking at her out of the corner of his eyes, not sold on her theory. 

When Abby summons them to her lab a while later, Ziva hopes she’ll be able to make sense of the evidence and prove their victim was not a witch. 

“What’s up, Abs?” Tony asks, taking his place at Abby’s side as she types away on her computer. 

“You guys are the best!” Abby cheers, hugging Tony.

“We are? Why?”

“Because of all this stuff you’ve sent me! I mean, I never seen a chunk of amethyst this big before! And some of these herbs are really rare. This girl either had a guy who could get them or she knew where to find them herself. I’m amazed, and a little jealous.”

“See, Tony: I told you. She’s not a witch. She’s just in touch with nature and the spiritual aspects of these things,” Ziva says. 

“Oh, she’s totally a witch,” Abby says matter-of-factly. “Which is part of why I’m so amazed! I mean, this girl knew her stuff. She must have been practicing for years!”

Abby misses Tony’s gasp and the way he turns, wide-eyed, to Ziva, desperately wanting to be smug about being right. 

“Abby, you can prove all of that just by looking at these things?” Ziva asks. 

“Well that, and the fact that I’ve dabbled in witchcraft in the past. Nothing bad, or serious, but still,” Abby says, casually, dropping knowledge at her friends. “She was casting a spell on the night she died. Look,” Abby says, pulling up photos of the crime scene. “See, this altar and the ring of items? The candle is red. She needed courage to do something.”

“Okay, fine, Tony: you win. She’s a witch.” Ziva finally relents, not wanting to witness anymore of his smug gloating anymore. “Do you have anything else, Abby?”

“I have so much more,” Abby says, bumping fists with Tony. “I may even have a suspect for you guys.”


	3. Day 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 3's prompt: Leaf Raking

_Fall, 2016_

Tony walks a few paces behind his daughter, watching the toddler crunch through the leaves on the sidewalk. Her ponytail was barely hanging on, and Tony promised himself to get better at doing Tali’s hair before her Christmas ballet recital. All of the mom’s were starting to throw looks at him for it, and Tony DiNozzo couldn’t have that. 

“Abba! I jump! I jump, Abba!” Tali calls to him, jumping as high as she can before landing on an unsuspecting leaf, giggling at the sound it makes. 

“I see!” Tony says, walking in front of Tali. “Wanna make a bigger sound?” At her excited nod, Tony kicks leaves into a small pile and then grabs Tali under her arms. “Ready? One, two, three!” He counts down and lifts Tali to waist height and slams her down into the pile. 

The little girl laughs hard at the action, throwing her head back and smiling wide. “Again! Again!”

Tony laughs and remakes the pile, and helps Tali jump into it again, eliciting the same response from his daughter. “That was fun, huh?” he asks, holding Tali at his side. She’s giddy with happiness, her little wellie boots kicking his side. 

“So fun, Abba!”

“I’m so glad, baby,” Tony says, smacking a kiss on Tali’s cheek. “Come on, let’s go home.” As they reach their apartment building, Tony has an idea to better their game. Their apartment building has a tiny garden in the back that he knows has been filling with leaves, and a quick look proves that the groundskeeper has already raked them into a neat pile. Releasing his mischievous side, Tony pushes open the back door, and runs across the yard. In one fluid movement, he jumps, rotates to his back and holds Tali high as they fly through the air and land in the pile of leaves.

Tali’s surprised gasp and then peal of giggles make Tony smile harder. “Again?” he asks, quirking an eyebrow at the girl. Tali nods and is already laughing even before Tony starts running. This time, she holds onto his neck when her dad jumps and when they land, she scoops up handfuls of leaves and throws them into the air. 

Tony sits up, and wipes the leaves out of his hair, doing the same to Tai (her ponytail now officially gone, their hair tie lost to nature). When voices echoing off the side of the building, signaling the impending arrival of more people, reach his ears, Tony knows they have to leave quickly. He scoops Tali up and dashes for the door, making it inside just as the groundskeeper starts to yell at them for messing up his hard work. 

[][]

_Fall 2021_

“Daddy! Daddy, watch!” Tali calls out to him.

Tony turns from his spot in a chair on the back porch to his daughter. Tali had spent all morning raking up leaves in their backyard to earn the last bit of money she needed to have a toy she desperately wanted, and he assumed she wanted to show him her work. 

But once Tali has her dad’s attention, she smiles and takes a running start before flinging herself into the neat pile she’d just made. “Did you see?” she calls, smiling, leaves stuck in her dark hair. 

“I saw, baby girl!” Tony praises. He rolls his eyes at her glee and smiles down at the baby in his arms. “Your sister is so silly, huh, buddy? Yeah, she is. She gets that from me, you know. Don’t let Ima tell you it comes from her. Not-uh. That’s all DiNozzo. I bet when you get older you’ll be silly too.”

The four-month-old isn’t impressed, but does smile up at his dad. 

“Daddy, can I do it with Levi do it with me this time?” Tali asks, appearing at the porch railing. She’s the best big sister, loving and always caring for her little brother.

Tony looks between his two kids, his baby girl and his baby boy. If Tali has his eyes and his mischievous attitude, then Levi is all his mom; same facial expressions, same pouty, always-has-to-be-right attitude. “Not this year, Tali. Levi is still too small. Next year, you’ll have to teach him."

Tali growls in disappointment at him, but returns to her leaf pile. She remakes it, drops the rake and backs up a few feet to run and jump again. She does it once, twice, three more times. 

And as she’s readying to do it a fourth time, Tony shifts Levi in his arms, stands from his chair and jogs down the porch steps. He catches Tali mid run and flings all three of them into the leaf pile. He’s mindful of the baby, so their landing is softer than Tali’s, but still the girl giggles. 

“Levi! Daddy, you said he was too little!”

“He wanted to play too,” Tony explains.

“Was that fun, Levi? Huh? Did you like it?” Tali asks her brother, leaning over their dad to see him. Levi is unsure of all of the sensory input he’s been given, but he smiles at his sister’s smile, crunching a leaf in his hand. “I think he had fun, don’t you, Daddy?”

“I think so, baby. I think so,” Tony says, holding his son up high, and watching as Tali plays in the leaves.


	4. Day 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony let's Ziva try a sip of his coffee. and the drink brings back memories for the Mossad agent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's prompt: Pumpkin Spice  
> We're going back in time for this one! Enjoy!

_ Fall, 2005 _

She could smell it from across the office; a warmth, coffee--she knew that much--, but also something else. Spicy, but not like peppers. 

And then she remembered. It came to her in a flash of a memory: she was a little girl standing in her kitchen with her mother. There was flour all over the counters, rain was falling outside the windows. And jars of spices were open in front of them. Her mother was helping her to measure out just the right amount, gently scolding her when she spills some. It smelt like fall, like home.

“Tony? What are you drinking?”

He looks up from his computer, eyeing her suspiciously. “Why?”

“Do you have to always answer questions with questions?”

“Look who’s talking,” he counters. 

“I just wanted to know what you were drinking. It smelt familiar. That is all.”

“It’s a pumpkin spice latte,” he says. “You’ve never had one before? It’s like fall tradition around here.”

“I am sure it is. But where I come from, we prefer our coffees with just milk and sugar.”

“You don’t know what you’re missing,” Tony said, taking a long sip of his coffee. “Ah! Fall in a cup!”

“And what is in this drink that makes it so fall like?” Ziva inquires, going to sit on the edge of Tony’s desk. 

“I don’t know. They put stuff in it. Spices and syrups, I think,” he shrugs. He never took mind to how it was made, just that it tasted good and had caffeine in it. 

“I see. And Americans see this coffee as a signifier of the fall season?”

“Well that and sweater weather and the leaves turning colors. And football,” McGee chimes in, having been listening in the whole time. 

“Yes! Football! That’s the real start of fall!” Tony cheers, smiling. 

“May I try some?” Ziva asks, going back to the coffee and avoiding the topic of sports, which could cause the boys to derail their conversation for hours if she let it. 

“Sure. But I should warn you: once you start, you’ll be hooked for life.”

Ziva rolls her eyes at his comment. How good could a fancy coffee really be? She picks up his cup and takes a sip.

And the second the warm coffee hits her tongue, she’s back home again. Home with her mother and Tali. They are baking and Tali is giggling. Her mother is showing her little sister how to make the pastry, just as she’d done when Ziva was little. She sees her father there too, back before his heart was consumed by darkness, sitting at the kitchen table pretending to read the newspaper. He chuckles at something her mother says. She is safe. She is warm.

Wow. Some powerful coffee.

“You like it! I knew you would!” Tony cheers, breaking her from the memory. 

“Yes, I will admit: it is very good. Thank you for letting me try it.”

“Any time, Dah-veed. And if you want more, just ask for Amber at the coffee cart downstairs. She’ll hook you up.”

Ziva returns to her desk already planning on getting one of her own when they reach a breaking point. Maybe not for the caffeine, but for the warmth. The memories of home, of Autumn. Of safety. 


	5. Day 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fall family fun, and a little friendly competition at the pumpkin patch away the DiNozzo-David family on this beautiful fall day.

It was a beautiful fall day in suburban Virginia; sunny and warm, in the mid-70’s, with a slight breeze in the air. The pumpkin patch was bustling with families all out for some seasonal fun, the smells of roasted corn and funnel cakes filled the air, a band was playing folk music up on a stage, and staff members called out empty places at carnival games and the soon to depart hayride. 

“Dad! Look! Can I play the basketball game?” Levi calls out as they pass. 

“No way. I’m not doling out five dollars for you to play a rigged game,” Tony rebuts.

“Okay,” the second-grader sighs. He never got to have _any_ fun.

“On the way out we should stop in the gift shop and look for some treats for Louie,” Tali suggests, thinking about the puppy she’d gotten for her birthday- okay he’s a family pet, but he was gifted for Tali’s birthday- who couldn’t come because he hadn’t had his shots yet. 

“I think that is a wonderful idea,” Ziva replies. “We’ll look in there for a gift for Morgan, too. I’ll bet she’d like something there.”

“Oh, yeah!” Tali smiles; her cousin loved all that farmhouse, rustic stuff. 

They decide to save picking pumpkins for last, and instead spend some time picking apples and Tali and her brother play on the ropes course for a bit. The only big activity left to do, aside from getting their faces painted (but none of the kids wanted to wait in the long line), was the corn maze. According to the sign by its entrance, the maze had been growing all year, and was made up of nearly five thousand stalks of corn. It covered a mile of land, and whoever reached the center and took a picture with the scarecrow would receive a special prize. 

“Race you to the middle!” Levi announces to his family, already starting off on the path. 

“Whoa there, Indiana Jones! You need to stay with an adult,” Tali scolds. Her brother was barely responsible enough to go to the bathroom alone at a restaurant alone, he was not conquering this maze by himself. 

“Ima! Do I _have_ to stay with a grown-up?” Levi whines, not at all wanting to listen to his dumb big sister. She treated him like a baby, anyway.

“Yes, you do,” Ziva says.

“Why?”

“It’s the rules. The people here don’t want kids getting lost in the maze.”

“Fine,” Levi says, going to stand with his mom. “But we have to get there first. I don’t want Daddy and Tali to beat us.”

“Oh, that will not happen,” Ziva smiles. “They don’t know my tricks.” She shares a conspiratorial wink, and the pair head off into the maze, leaving Tony and Tali alone and wondering what the secret trick was.

“Come on!” Tony cheers, grabbing Tali’s hand and taking off to catch up to Ziva and Levi.

“Ima! They’re coming!” Levi cries, looking backwards.

“Don’t worry. Stay close.” She says, using her years of ninja training to allow her and Levi to disappear. 

Tony couldn’t believe it. One second they were right in front of him, and then he blinked and they were gone. His wife was a sneaky ninja and he knew she would find ways to get to the middle of the maze first. 

“Where did they go?” Tali gasps, equally surprised.

“Your mom is using her tricks. That’s where they went.”

“No fair! That’s cheating!”

“Not if we get there first! Come on.”They hurry on, turn after turn, following the maze and the hints that were strategically placed. Ziva was good, but they don’t grow corn in Israel. She was way out of her element. 

_"Ha! We got her now! No way she got here first"_ , Tony thinks as he and Tali take the final turn to get them into the middle.

“No way!” Tali shouts. 

And there before them were Ziva and Levi, posed in front of the happy scarecrow. 

“How? I don’t get it! You were right in front of us!” Tony says, bewildered. He was sure they were gonna win.

“I told you, Tony: I have my ways,” Ziva says, walking up to him and patting his chest. “We won: fair and square. Better luck next time.” She smugly starts down the simple path that cuts right through the corn to get them back out.

“How did you do it? Come on, Levi! Tell me!” Tali begs, following her brother, not even wanting to take a picture for her prize.

“I can’t, Tals, a ninja never reveals their secret,” Levi says, probably repeating something his mom told him.

When the others are gone, a staff member approaches Tony. “There’s a hidden path that goes right here. It’s by the Wicked Witch of the West,” he says, whispering, exposing their secret. “Don’t tell anyone.”

“Thanks,” Tony says. So Ziva didn’t technically cheat, but she did use a hidden path and not the maze proper. He’s still pissed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt for Day 5: Corn Maze  
> Also? Where did this Levi kid come from? I mean, he popped up and now he won't go away. I've tried tossing him from fruit snacks, but he's still here! And apparently, he was things to say. Huh.


	6. Day 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fire and some s'mores were the perfect opportunity for fun and stories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt for Day 6: Bonfire

Ziva sat up in her chair, she gripped the arms and dug her feet into the dirt under her. She tried to remain calm and not shout as Tony and Tali got too close for her comfort to the roaring fire. The sun had just set, the blue of twilight surrounded them, and her daughter tosses yet another stick into the flames. Tali bounces on her toes, laughing gleefully as she plays with her dad.

“You okay?” 

Gibbs’ voice startles Ziva out of her momentary fear, and she looks up at him. “They are quite close to the fire. It makes me nervous.”

Gibbs laughs at her comment; such a parent thing to say. “Eh, DiNozzo’s got her. Tali’s good. Let them have some fun.” Before he sits in the chair next to her, he sets down a tray of s’mores ingredients on the wooden picnic table near the fire pit.

Ziva chuckles at Gibbs’ comment and relaxes back into her chair. She pulls the sleeves of her sweatshirt over her hands, and crosses her arms over her chest. Their trip here had been a last minute thing. Tali was already back in school, but a long weekend afforded them a chance for a spur-of-the-moment trip to see their family back in The States. 

Tali jumps back as a breeze carries embers up into the sky, and she follows the glowing dots until they disappear into the night. She scampers away from the fire and towards her mom, pushing her hair out of her face. 

“Ima, I’m cold.”

“Your sweatshirt is on the table. Go put it on and then you and Papa Boss can help Daddy make s’mores,” Ziva says, pointing to the pink Minnie Mouse crewneck that had seen better days. 

“Yay!” Tali yells, rushing to throw on her sweatshirt, getting her arm stuck in the process, and smiling at her grandfather. “Papa Boss! Come on! I want s’mores!”

Gibbs laughs again, standing and helping Tali carry the tray over to her dad. The moniker had been coined by Victoria Palmer when she was a toddler, and had been picked up by the other kids in their family; he didn’t have the heart to make them change it. And, though Gibbs would never tell anyone, he secretly really loved it. 

The two men and their lovely little lady spent the next ten minutes roasting marshmallow (or burning them to a crisp, in Tali’s case) and constructing the perfect marshmallow. With one bite, Tali smears chocolate and marshmallow all over her face, and giggles along with her dad and grandfather. 

As Tali works on another marshmallow, Tony stands and moseys over to Ziva. He cocks his head and half-smiles at her. “You okay?”

“Yes, just watching,” Ziva says, taking Tony’s offered hand and standing. He hugs her close and together they walk over to the fire pit. She squats down next to Tali, laying a hand on her back.

“Ima, I made you a s’more!” Tali says, handing the treat over to her mom.

“Thank you, ahavah,” Ziva smiles. She crunches into it, giggling when chocolate and marshmallow smear all over her face. “Look: we match,” she smiles, bopping Tali on the nose, making her daughter giggle.

“I remember when Kelly was little,” Gibbs starts, staring into the flames, “we went camping on some beach in Maryland. It rained the entire time; we were cold and miserable, and there were only so many times we could play Go Fish before Kelly started going stir crazy. So, I took her out with me and we went looking for sticks to roast marshmallows because she was sure the rain would let up before it got dark. Well, it didn’t, and the sticks we found we so waterlogged, it wasn’t even worth keeping them. Kelly was still whining for marshmallows, so I took out our tiny propane stove and turned it on. And so, here I am: out in the pouring rain, using my hands to roast marshmallows over a stove!” Gibbs laughs, signing on the memory. “This is miles better than that.”

“That sounds like a wonderful memory,” Ziva smiles. 

“Yeah, it is,” Gibbs says, quickly blowing off his marshmallow as it catches on fire. 

“Who’s Kelly?” Tali asks, looking between her mom and grandfather. 

“She was my daughter,” Gibbs explains. “She and my wife, Shannon, are in Heaven now.”

“Oh. I’m sorry,” Tali says, knowing that Heaven meant someone or something was gone and not coming back. 

Gibbs continues, “But I know they’re watching me tell that story and are probably rolling their eyes. And I know if they had met you and your mom, they would have loved you just as much as I do,” He smiles, at Tali and then Ziva. “And I bet they’re keeping your new brother or sister company until they can be here with us.”

Ziva gasps, her jaw dropping. _How did he know? They hadn’t told anyone yet!_ “How did--? Tony, did you--?”

“Hey! Don’t look at me!” Tony says, holding up his hands. “And Tali pinky swore, so it’s not her,” he defends. 

“I just want you to know that I know, Ziver,” Gibbs says to her with a wink. 

Ziva scrunches up her face, annoyed and slightly impressed. It was impossible to keep a secret for long in their family. 


	7. Day 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Undercover in a Country bar. What could possible go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt for Day 7: Whiskey  
> There seems to be an 'undercover' theme going today, so I thought I'd join the fun!

Ziva’s eyes glanced around the large room as the loud music hit her square in the chest. The bouncer checks her ID and stamps her hand before waving her through. She looks around admiring the couples and groups of friends milling about around the tables and on the dance floor. 

She never would have chosen this place to meet, but it wasn’t her decision. She went where she was told.

She claims a table out of the way, but still close to a particular group of four: two guys and their respective girlfriends. Exactly the group she was looking for. Hiding in plain sight. She smiles at the girls when they look her way, and when the waitress comes over to her, she orders a drink. Got to look the part right?

“Whisky sour, please,” she requests. 

“You got it,” the waitress replies, sauntering away in her cowboy boots and Daisy Duke shorts. 

“Like what you see, Tony?” Ziva husks into her com.

_“Yeah. Yeah,”_ Tony sighs, very clearly liking the pretty girl in the short shorts. 

“Good. So now that you’ve had your fun: focus!” Ziva barks. 

_“Yeah, Tony: her eyes are up there,”_ McGee chimes in from his spot behind his computer. Ziva doesn’t need to see to know that Tony smacks their friend on the head. The music changes from a slower song, to a quick two-step, and two of the group rush off to go dance. 

The girl from the other two refuses her partner’s requests to dance, and so he huffs off to get yet another beer. Ziva counts four glasses at the table, and suspects at least three of them are his. 

_“Ziva! That’s him! That’s the guy!”_ McGee shouts, his computer blinking wildly after identifying their suspect. 

The waitress comes back with her drink, and Ziva thanks her. 

“Two left feet?” Ziva asks, scooting closer and butting into their conversation. She knew she had to tread carefully around the girl; she was just an innocent bystander. But their suspect was in the building and she needed to devise a plan. Fast. 

“Yeah, something like that,” the girl says, turning to Ziva and revealing the cast on her leg. “As my dad likes to say: I got into a hockey fight,” she chuckles. 

“Oh, wow!” Ziva marvels. “I hope it was nothing serious.”

“No. We went four-wheeling last weekend and I hit a turn wrong, flipped and my leg got caught. I should be back at it by summer, though. So that’s good!”

Ziva felt bad for the girl, her cheery attitude made her an easy target.

“So, how long have you been dating?”

“Oh, we just met tonight,” the girl says, waving Ziva off. “He seems nice though.”

“Your friends just left you alone?”

“Well one of us had to watch the table. And since I’m gimpy, I drew that short straw.” The song changes again, and the girl perks up, her smile widening and then falling as she hobbles over to the rail surrounding the fence. “I love this song! Man, I wish I could dance.”

Ziva follows her and watches as those on the floor assemble into lines and fall into the learned choreography perfectly. “I’ve never heard this one before,” she comments. 

“Really? Oh, it’s a classic! They banned it at this bar we used to go to because people kept yelling awful things. I’m glad they do it here, though!”

_“Ziva! You four o’clock! He’s coming! Make your move,”_ McGee tells her.

_“You have a plan?”_ Tony asks.

“I always have a plan,” Ziva whispers, turning to look at the guys coming to them. He’s holding two more beers, and the heels of his boots click loudly enough on the floor to be heard over the music. “Hey, will you watch my stuff for a second? I have to use the bathroom?” She asks the girl.

“Yeah, for sure!”

“Perfect!” Ziva starts to walk, and when she meets up with their suspect, she purposefully bumps him. The drinks fall, crashing all over the floor. Beer splashes her dress, and she jumps back in shock. “Oh my god! I am so sorry.”

“Bitch! Look what you did!”

“I’m so sorry,” Ziva says again.

_“Ziva make your move!”_ Tony shouts into her com. Time was of the essence. 

“Ronnie, chill. It was an accident,” the girl says, coming over to them. 

“You: stay out of this!” Ronnie barks at her. “You owe me another beer!” He says to Ziva.

“Of course. Come, tell me what you want,” Ziva directs, starting for the bar. She lets Ronnie get slightly ahead of her before she discreetly pulls out her gun and sticks it into the small of his back, wrapping an arm around his stomach “Now: we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. And I don’t want that nice girl to see you embarrassed in front of everyone, so I suggest the easy way.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? I didn’t do nothing!”

“Sure, believe that,” Ziva says again. They reach the bar and stay off to the side to talk. “We know about the money and the girls and your secret apartment.” Ronnie flinches and tries to run, but Ziva holds him closer. “Ah, ah! I wouldn’t do that. Remember: there are a lot of people here. I wouldn’t want to make a scene and ruin their fun.”

“You’re full of shit!”

“Am I? Really? Well, why do we go outside for some air and talk, huh?”

She leads him out the back door of the club, past the trio of staff smoking in the alley, and out to the vacant lot behind the club. 

“Ronnie Merriman! You’re under arrest! Don't move!”

Tony and McGee stand behind their surveillance van, guns pinned on Ronnie. He was done for. 


	8. Day 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony joins Ziva on a night out with her friends, and discovers how sexy line dancing can be.

Tony’s eyes glanced around the large room as the loud music hit him square in the chest. The bouncer checks his ID and stamps his hand before waving him through. He looks around admiring the couples and groups of friends milling about around the tables and on the dance floor. 

He never would have chosen this place to meet, but it wasn’t his decision; he went where he was told.

“Tony! Tony, over here!” He looks in the direction Ziva’s voice came from and tries not to let his jaw drop.

She’s with three other people, two girls and a guy, and there are already drinks on the table. All four of them are dressed pretty similarly: jeans, cowboy boots, and flannel shirts. But Tony could only look at Ziva. Her jeans were tight and hugged her curves, and she’d tied her shirt just under her bust which showed off her toned stomach. She was smiling and happy and Tony hoped she couldn’t read his mind and hear the dirty things he was thinking. 

“We ordered you a beer,” Ziva says when he’s close enough to hear. 

“Thanks,” he nods. “Nice place,” he says, looking around at the standard ‘country’ decor and the large dance floor and DJ booth. 

“Yeah, it’s pretty nice. Our usual place got overrun by teenagers, so we came here. It’s pretty chill,” one the the girls replied.

“Teenagers?” Tony questions, knowing the rules to be admitted into a club in DC.

“They let in kids eighteen and older on certain nights,” the girl continues. “They figure, if the kids have a safe place to go and party, they won’t do stupid shit.”

“Makes sense,” Tony nods. 

“Oh!” Ziva realizes, snapping in frustration. “I’m so sorry! Tony, this is Taylor, Hallie, and Ryan,” she introduces. Taylor, the girl he was talking with had layered blonde hair with sideswept bangs and green eyes. Hallie, he recognized as the sweet girl from the human trafficking case a few months prior, had shoulder length brown hair and deep brown eyes, and seemed to always have a smile on her face. And Ryan was clearly military (Army, Tony guesses) with his high and tight haircut and the way he stood tall and stiff, but he seemed like a nice enough guy. 

The music changes and Taylor and Ryan dash off to dance, leaving the other three behind. 

“So, no date tonight?” Tony questions Hallie, hoping it’s casual. 

“No, I’m trying this ‘single’ life for a while,” Hallie says. “You know, after everything that happened.”

“Noy, yeah, I totally get that,” Tony says, taking a long drink from his beer. 

“Do you want to dance, Tony?” Ziva asks. “You don’t mind, do you?” she asks, turning to Hallie. The two had become good friends in the last few months and she felt bad leaving her behind. 

“I’m good. You two go. But you owe me one.”

“I will,” Ziva nods, holding out a hand for Tony. “You do know how to two-step, right?”

Tony scoffs. “Of course I do! DiNozzo men are skilled in all areas of dance.”

Sure, Tony gloated about his dancing abilities at their table, but when they got onto the dance floor, it was clear Tony had absolutely no clue what he was doing. As they stumbled around the floor, Ziva laughed gleefully. 

“Tony, let me lead,” She insists. “I promise, no one will mind.” He’d wanted to spin her and do all those cool tricks he’d seen other couples do, but truthfully he’d barely mastered the basic step and he’d felt like an idiot. 

“Lead away, Sweetcheeks,” Tony relents, letting Ziva guide him around the dancefloor. She counts out the steps for him, making sure his eyes stay on her face and not on his feet. 

“See: you’re getting it!” Ziva smiles.

“I have a good teacher, I guess,” Tony shrugs. Unexpectedly, he spins Ziva, taking the lead and adding more style to the basic step. Her surprised shout gives him chills and he smiles. 

“Look at you,” Ziva replies with a sly smile. The song ends, and Ziva stops to listen for a second. She rushes into the middle of the floor along with a gaggle of others as another line dance starts. 

[It’s a fairly simple dance, and Tony catches on quickly](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPaohHVHhGw). There are traditions of the dance that she knows and he doesn’t, and he loves the winks and smiles Ziva gives him as if she’s letting him in on some secret. He watches her the entire time, loving how much fun she’s having; how happy she is with her friends. 

“Come on, let’s get a drink,” she suggests when the song ends. They return to their table with new drinks and rest for a few songs until another line dance starts. 

[At the sound of the first notes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LWfnJyZgP0), Ziva and Hallie squeal and run onto the dance floor. Tony stands on the side and watches the girls dance. The bouncy pattern is easy enough to follow, and the things they call out make him laugh. He follows Ziva the entire time, enamoured with how happy she is, how carefree dance makes her. He’d already fallen in love with the ninja Mossad agent he knew from work, but the young adult, fun side that he’d seen glimpses of at work that she’s letting out tonight makes him fall even deeper in love with her. 

He catches her looking at him, and he tries to quickly look away, but it’s of no use. She sees the heat in his eyes, how large and dark his pupils are. So when the next song is another line dance, Ziva uses it as an opportunity to make him look at her. 

The song is fast and loud, and [the dance is fun and sexy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBU4Auc11sU) and she accentuates her hip movements, dancing for Tony and only him. She sets one hand on her hip and with the other she pantomimes holding a cowboy hat. In the middle of the song, Ziva breaks away from the line dancers and heads for Tony. She swings her hips for him again, and then grabs his hand and pulls him close. She grinds into him, grabbing his hip and digging her hands into his hair. 

Their breaths grow hot and close together and they continue to dance, lost in their own world. He pulls her even closer, pushes her hair out of her face and kisses her, hoping she understands how much he wants her, How this entire night he’d wanted to take her into the bathroom, shove her against the wall and have his way with her. 

“Let’s get out of here,” she says. 

He hooks his arm through hers and quickly pulls her from the dance floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt for day 8: Flannel  
> File this under "and then they had sex"  
> Happy birthday, Sofia!!!!!


	9. Day 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt for Day 9: Scary Movie Night

“Alright: scoot over,” Ziva directs, squeezing her way between her boyfriend and her daughter on the couch. She covers up with the blanket they were all sharing and lifts her arm as Tali cuddles close. Tony passes over her bowl of popcorn and flicks off the lamp. The room goes dark and a second later, the movie begins. 

They had started a tradition at the beginning of the month to watch a spooky or scary movie every night, switching off between ones that Tali would love and enjoy (mostly the Disney ones), and ones that were more adult oriented. Tonight was an adult one, and a particularly scary one at that. They’d given Tali an out-- extra Ipad time in her bedroom --if she wanted too, but the first grader declined, saying she was brave enough. 

It was a simple enough plot to follow: suburban family, with their own internal problems, start experiencing some weird things and soon it’s revealed that evil spirits are to blame and even more things start to happen and people and things start dying. 

To the adults with more refined film taste, it’s more suspenseful than scary, but to Tali? It’s the scariest movie she’s ever seen! She follows the story well, even enjoying it, but every single time a scary part comes she buries her face in her mom’s arm, waiting for it to be over. 

“Do you want to stop?” Ziva whispers to Tali about halfway through the movie. 

“No, I wanna see what happens,” Tali says. Ziva simply nods, sneakily stealing one of the M&M’s from Tali’s bowl. The movie continues, and Ziva is really enjoying it. She’d seen the earlier films when she was living in DC before, but had missed the newer ones. 

When the end credits roll, Tony returns their TV to the main menu screen and pulls off the blanket. Loose kernels of popcorn fall to the floor and bends over to pick them up with a grunt. 

“It isn’t fair! Why did they have to kill the cat? He didn’t do anything!” Tali argues, following her dad into the kitchen and tossing her empty bowl into the sink.

“I don’t know, Tali. Sometimes people who make movies do things for the story or because it makes people say things like you are,” Tony tries to explain. “Kind of like in Frozen when Anna froze solid, it made people have a reaction. That’s what the people who made the movie wanted.”

“Yeah, but Anna came back! Elsa un-froze her! That cat isn’t coming back. It’s not fair!”

“Yeah, sometimes movies aren’t fair,” Tony says with a chuckle. “Go brush your teeth.”

They tuck Tali into bed and even give her a few minutes of Ipad time (hopefully to calm her mind down and stop any bad dreams from happening), flicking on the Frozen night light as they leave. Ziva and Tony return to the couch, the TV on for background noise, and proceed to play on their respective phones. Ziva answers last minute emails from work, and Tony scrolls through social media, showing his girlfriend funny videos from time to time. They head to bed not long after, and soon their apartment is dark and quiet. 

Around two in the morning, Tali crawls into bed with her parents, clearly scared of the dark and the monsters under her bed. She cuddles close to her mom, and gets sandwiched between both her parents when Tony throws his arm over both his girls. He realizes showing Tali that movie may not have been the best decision. He’ll wait until she’s older to show her the others. 

The next morning at breakfast, her nightmare forgotten, Tali excitedly requests to watch another one of the movies that night. 


	10. Day 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt for Day 10: Skulls and Bones

“Well, Jimmy won’t have to do much with this body,” McGee comments dryly. 

The two friends stare down at the dead body before them. It lay crumpled on the ground, rifle at its side with one gunshot wound through its skull and another through it’s stomach. 

“Ducky will love the afternoon off,” Tony says equally as sarcastically. “He always says he misses going to The Mall during the day, especially when it’s this nice out.  Come on,” he says after another moment, following the dirt path the body had come from, scanning the trees for signs of other people hiding. “This doesn’t feel right. Keep your guard up,” He whispers to McGee, drawing his gun and getting it ready should the need arise. 

“I got you,” Tim answers, holding position at Tony’s six. 

They continue walking silently, until Tony yelps when someone's hands slam down on his shoulders. 

“Shit!” He jumps and drops his gun, watching as it clatters and tumbles down the hill to his left. 

“What are you doing?” Ziva asks. She’d come home from picking Tali up from school and had made enough noise that she thought Tony had heard her.

“We’re playing. Go away!” Tony whines, pausing his video game, hearing in his ear as Tim whines.

“Oh my god! This is how you choose to spend your free time? Playing with virtual guns?” She asks loudly.

“Ziva?” McGee asks into his headset. “Tony, I didn’t know you were letting Ziva play!”

“Wait, McGee, say that again,” Tony says, passing his headphones over to Ziva who puts them on and listens to their friend repeat his statement. 

“He’s not. I just got home, I wasn’t even invited,” Ziva yells into the headset. 

McGee winces and turns down his volume. “You don’t have to yell. I can hear you,” he says. 

“Oh, sorry,” Ziva says. Tony fights for his headphones back so he can be in on the conversation again, but Ziva is still talking, so he positions the headset so they both can listen. 

“Do you want to play with us? We’re not in a competitive league or anything. Just casual stuff.” 

“I mean, sure you can play. But she’s not even on our level, Tim. It would take her months to get where we are,” Tony says, trying to keep his girlfriend out of the one thing he has for himself. 

“Challenge accepted,” Ziva says with a nod. “But not during your special time with McGee and Jimmy, I know how important it is to you.” She sees Tony smile and gives him full control of his headphones.

“Hi, daddy! What are you doing?” Tali asks, running into the room, homework folder in hand. 

“I’m playing video games with Uncle Tim,” he says, hugging his daughter. 

“Oh! Cool! Hi, Uncle Tim!” Tali shouts into her dad’s microphone. Tony jumps again. What is it with his girls and yelling?

“Hey, honey! How are you? How was school?” McGee asks, waiting for Tony to hand the mic over to his nice. They talk for a few minutes before Tali is called away to do homework, and Jimmy Palmer’s name comes up that he’s entered the game. 

“Hey, Palmer! We left something for you!” Tony yells. 

And their game night continues. 


	11. Day 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt for day 11: pumpkin carving
> 
> We should seriously have a drinking game for the amount of times I say 'Halloween' and 'Pumpkin' on this chapter. Take a shot every time you see it. If you're underage, use chocolate milk. ;)

“This video I saw said not to cut it open from the top, but from the bottom. Apparently it helps the pumpkin hold its shape better,” Tali says, helping her brother cover their kitchen table with old newspaper. She lays out the carving tools and hoists the three large pumpkins on top of the paper. 

Tali didn’t particularly like carving pumpkins,the goop inside gave her chills and she hated how sticky it was, but she loved spending time with her family. Sure, her parents were annoying sometimes and her brother was a pain, but Tali loved them and knew her days with them doing things like this were numbered. 

“Now you tell us! We’ve been doing it wrong for years!” He dad says, sarcastically. He’d changed out of his work suit and into a tee-shirt and jeans and was waiting to start. 

“He ha, very funny,” Tali retorts. “I’m just the messenger, don’t blame me,” she holds up her hands and moves to stand next to her pumpkin. “Come on, Ima! We’re waiting for you!”

“Tali,  neshomeleh, you need to be more patient,” Ziva gently scolds, rubbing her daughter’s shoulder as she comes into the room and stands next to Tony.

“I’m trying, Ima. I’m just excited. And kinda sad. I mean this is my last year carving pumpkins with you guys. Next year I’m gonna be at college. And Levi’s gonna be in charge.”

“Not if he cuts his face off with that knife! Hold it down, dude,” Tony says, watching his pre-teen son hold a sereated knife mere inches from his face. Levi does as he’s told and they continue with their activity.

Tali follows the directions of the video she’d seen and cuts her pumpkin open from the bottom. She manages to get her dad to scoop out her pumpkin guts, and starts to work on her design. She draws it out with a marker first and then starts to cut once it’s perfect. She’s going for cute as opposed to scary this year and gets to work on her ghost and black cat. 

“Pass me the tiny knife, please,” Levi asks, going back to his project when he receives the requested tool. He takes his time, making small slices in his intricate design. He’d abandoned his usual plan of doing a simple face for something much cooler. It’s a dragon breathing fire, and he explains that when he puts the candle inside, the flame will look like it’s coming from the dragon’s mouth. 

“I remember my first Halloween with Tali. We had just moved to Paris and I wanted to give her a true American Halloween experience,” Tony says, revealing a memory to a time Tali barely remembered. “So, I managed to track down a pumpkin and I brought it home and carved it with this cute little face. And when I showed it to Tali, she was afraid!” Everyone laughs at that, imagining toddler Tali taking one look at that pumpkin and crying. 

“I don’t remember that,” Tali says, “but I do remember that one year when my school had that fall festival and we went, you, me, and Ima, and I ate a caramel apple and lost a tooth on it. I don’t think I truly had an official American Halloween until we moved back to DC.”

Ziva laughs at another memory. “Do you remember one of Levi’s first Halloweens. He was dressed like a lion and went around trying to scare everyone.”

“I remember that!” Tali shouts. “And then dad thought it would be clever to play Simba’s roar from Lion King every time Levi roared. He didn’t know where it was coming from, but he thought he was so scary.”

Everyone is laughing now, thinking of their many Halloweens as a family. 

“Okay, I’m done,” Levi announces a while later. He turns his pumpkin to reveal his design, and every gasps at it. The intricate cuts that went into the fire breathing dragon were very precise and truly show off how careful Levi had been. 

“Wow, look at that!” Tony admires.

“That is wonderful work, Levi!” Ziva praises. Her son was not known for his careful hands or taking time on a project, so this was an achievement for him. 

“Thank you,” Levi smiles.

“Alright, look at mine,” Tali says. She turns her pumpkin and smiles. 

“That is so cute,” Ziva admires, smiling at the smiling ghost and black cat with the witch hat. It was fall and Halloween without being scary. 

“Very cute. Great job, Tali girl,” Tony praises. It truly did reflect his daughter’s personality. “Okay, now our turn.” The reveal makes his kids gasp and shout. He and Ziva had turned their pumpkin into a haunted house; ghosts, bats, even a small graveyard, it was creepy and completed their trio of pumpkins. 

While Tony and Levi put their pumpkins on the front porch, Tali and Ziva clean up their mess and end up on the couch cuddled up under blankets. The boys continue the video game they’d been working through, Tali works on homework, and Ziva opens her journal to write; her pen scratching on the paper adds to the happy noise of the room. The sun had set, and the threat of snow in the sky had dropped the temperature, which made the fuzzy blankets even more inviting. 


	12. Day 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He tracked me down in Cairo. He found me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt for day 12: Fairs.   
> I may have taken some creative liberties with the prompt, but I hope you guys enjoy it nonetheless!

“You need to leave,” Ziva says to him. “I’m serious this time, Tony. It is not safe for you two to be here.”

He’d tracked her down -- hunted her, really -- to Cairo. He was over a month early from the time she’d wanted them to come. There was still work to be done; people who needed to be taken out. She’d left specific directions for when and where to meet in the note attached to Tali’s birthday present, but obviously both Tony and Orli decided to ignore them. 

“I still don’t get why you think you have to do this alone,” Tony says, following her through the maze of stalls set up in the marketplace. People were selling food and other wares; the oranges, yellows and browns of fall colored the entire market in a warm wash of color. 

“I have to keep you and Tali safe. That is my number one priority,” Ziva says, whipping around to him, making Tali, who was being held on her mom’s hip, giggle and demand to be spun again. The toddler was oblivious to the conflict waging between her parents. All she knew was that her Ima was back and they were on an adventure. 

“So you have to run off alone? And keep secrets from me?”

“I did not mean to keep secrets, Tony. I wanted to have you inside all along, but Orli and Adam told me not to.”

“Oh, so we’re just listening to Orli and Adam now? Come on, Ziva! How the hell could you let them make that choice for you?”

“It was not an easy choice!” she growls. “If only you knew how hard it was to keep that secret from you. Not only Tali, but eventually the news I was being hunted.”

“You know you can trust me! You were being a coward!” He realizes they are starting to cause a scene, so he pulls them off to a secluded alley. “You kept our daughter from me! Do you know how that makes me feel? I basically missed the first three years of her life! And then I find out you’re keeping another secret from me! And the worst part is, I had to find out from _Orli_!” He says her name with such disgust, it is clear to Ziva that Tony still doesn’t fully trust her friend; he basically hates her.

It was all coming out now. After a full day in Cairo letting Tali see her mom again, and Tony and Ziva overcoming the shock of her being alive and in hiding, all the hurt and anger was coming out. 

“You don’t even know who this Sahar person is! Or where they are or where they’re going! You can’t do this on your own. I know you think you’re Wonder Woman, but you need help!”

“I can’t!” Ziva’s voice cracks. “I can’t afford to lose another person because they help me. I won’t let that happen. I won’t have Tali lose both of her parents.”

“So go to Vance! Or Gibbs! Hell, even Fornell. Someone.” Tony grabs her arms and gets Ziva to look at him. “I don’t wanna lose you again. Once was hard enough.”

She sees the hurt in his eyes; it’s the same look he had years ago in Tel Aviv when he’d begged her to come home with him. She’d wanted to cry then and she wants to cry now. 

“Tony,” she whispers. “I am so sorry,” she takes a shaky breath. “I am so sorry for everything these past few years. But I have to do this alone. I need to take this risk and find this person who wants me dead. And in order to do that, I need you to promise me that you will keep Tali safe. That you will give her an excellent life. A life full of happiness and love; a life my father couldn’t give me. Let her have dreams; go to her dance recitals. I need to know that she is okay. As long as I know that, I will be safe.”

“Ima. Ima, no cry,” Tali says looking up at her mom. 

“It’s all okay, ahavah,” Ziva says, giving her sweet baby girl a watery smile. “It’s all going to be okay.” She kisses Tali’s soft hair, and starts to walk back into the market. Tony follows closely, and Ziva reaches for his hand. 

He takes it and squeezes; still pissed and sad. “I hate this,” he says. 

“Me too,” Ziva replies. 

“It’s not fair, huh? The universe really has it out for us,” Tony says, shaking his head.

“It really does,” Ziva agrees. Not just this whole Sahar situation, but everything. Her father, Ari, Somalia, Michael, Gibbs’ stupid rules. Nothing ever came easy for them. She just wanted once, once, for the would to stop and let her be happy and calm and free.

She hoped at some point it could be that way, But for now, she was going to spend every minute of her last days with her daughter and the man she loved. 


	13. Day 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt for day 13: Scented Candles

_ Fall, 2018 _

“What’s that smell?” Tony asks, looking up from his computer for the first time all morning. It had brought forth a memory that had pulled him from his work. A memory of fall, of safety, of comfort. Of Ziva. 

“Apple Cinnamon! Do you not like it?” His deskmate, Olivia, replies with a happy upturn of her voice. She points to the tiny wax melter that was sitting on her desk. 

Tony laughs, shaking his head. “You’re gonna get us in trouble, you know that right? Having stuff like that in here is against the rules.”

“I’m gonna put it out in a second! I just needed a new smell in here. It was starting to smell like a wet dog. No offense.” She turns and clicks off the tiny lightbulb doing all the work. 

“None taken. I hate the rain, too,” he says. It had been raining all week; a real Paris fall for sure. “And let’s be honest: the smell is coming from Amos’ office. He always brings something cabbage related this time of year,” Tony says conspiratorially to his friend about their co-worker. 

Olivia laughs, quickly covering her mouth before other people look in their direction. “Yeah, you’re right. It does stink up the whole office.” They laugh together, sighing as they return to their work. 

[][]

“Daddy! Daddy!” Tali shouts as she busts through the door of her school. Because of the rain, parents were being asked to pick up their children through the school’s front doors. 

“Hey, baby girl! Did you have a good day?”

“Yeah! We painted with apples and I got to pick leaves in the forest for a project tomorrow,” Tali informs him as they pull up their hoods and start for the car. They run through the rain, Tali laughing the whole way, and make it without getting too soaked. 

“I can’t wait to see your leaf project,” Tony says, buckling his daughter into her booster seat. “We need to run to the store real quick before going home, okay?”

“Okay!”

The drive to the grocery store in the rain wasn’t as bad as Tony had thought and soon they are grabbing a cart and going through the aisles for a few things. Tali snacks on a free cookie from the bakery and looks at her dad confused when he stops down an aisle they never go down. 

“Daddy, what are you looking for?” she asks as her dad picks up a large glass jar candle and smells it. 

“Hold on, baby,” Tony answers, picking up another candle and smelling it. Then another. And then three more until finally the correct smell hits him. He looks down at the label and shakes his head at his own stupidity. He could have just read the label. “Smell this, tell me what you think.”

He holds the jar under Tali’s nose and watches as her expression goes from quizzical to calmness and comfort when she smells a second time. Her shoulders relax and she gets a small, soft smile on her lips. 

“Do you remember that smell?” He asks, hoping it will elicit the same memory in their daughter as it did him. 

“Maybe. Kinda,” the preschooler says. There’s something there; a hint of a memory long gone to time. 

“It reminds me of Ima,” Tony supplies. 

Tali gasps, standing up in the cart when she finally remembers. “That’s what it is! I knew I remembered it! It’s Ima!”

Tony laughs, quickly grabbing onto the cart when it wiggles with Tali’s movement, happy with her excitement. “It is,” he nods. “Someone at work today had a candle with the same smell and I’ve been thinking about it all day. It made me happy to think of Ima.”

Tali doesn’t respond as they head to the checkout. He watches her play with the cuff of her jacket; ideas and thoughts spilling out of her mind. “I miss Ima,’ Tali finally says while they wait. “I wish she were home with me and you. Then we wouldn’t need a candle, we could just smell Ima.” 

“Yeah, I agree,” Tony says, scooping her out of the cart and smiles at the cashier. 


End file.
